When it comes to dogs, some human foods are just not for them. This is applicable even if those foods are highly beneficial for humans. Is honey one such food item? Honey is a tasty sweetener as well as a natural healer for humans.
Nobody can deny the health benefits of consuming raw honey. It is pure and unprocessed, due to which its intact antibacterial, as well as anti-inflammatory properties, help treat an infection. Apart from that, honey is a natural medium for calming sore throats and heal wounds or burns. So, can dogs have pure honey? Is honey safe for them? Let us check out!
Can Dogs Consume Honey?
Well, a quick answer is yes and no, both. Well, it is YES for dogs but NO for puppies. Dogs can consume dog-friendly honey, which is usually raw, unprocessed honey occasionally and in small portions. Most dogs love both the taste and smell of this superfood. This makes it easier to give them honey in any form.
However, honey is not at all suitable for puppies. It is not safe to feed them with any type of honey and in any portion. This is because the immune system of puppies is incapable of fighting against the botulism spores in honey. These spores are harmful to small ones who are still immature.
You may opt to feed it to a furry pet, but it is essential to know the risks and benefits before doing so.
Which Honey Should Dogs Eat?
Dogs should always consume pure honey, which is raw honey. It is preferable over regular honey. Raw honey is not heated, pasteurized, or processed at all. It is an unadulterated as well as an unaltered form of honey, which you can use to sweeten the recipes for dogs. Above all, it is a natural remedy for many health disorders in dogs.
It is wise to avoid giving processed honey to dogs, as it is unnatural. The reason is that natural foods are ideal for dogs to digest. Thus, unnatural or processed foods are not likely to offer the number of benefits that are naturally obtained from raw honey.
It is common for many dog owners to give processed honey to their dogs to keep seasonal allergens away from them. However, the owners end up failing in doing so. This is because their choice is processed honey. Frankly, it should be raw honey to keep allergies away.
Is Honey Beneficial for Dogs?
For humans, honey is a superfood, as it can heal a myriad of illnesses. However, is this true even for dogs? Well, research has concluded that even dogs can reap many of these benefits of raw honey by consuming it in moderate quantities from time to time.
Raw honey is full of vitamins such as A, B-complex, K, E, C, and D. Apart from that, it has a rich content of calcium, copper, potassium, iodine, sulfur, phosphorus, manganese, silicon, and magnesium. Both these nutrients are essential for living a healthy life for dogs.
This type of honey is rich in beneficial enzymes that can bring a boost to the dog’s digestion process. Although honey is among the quickest and easiest foods to digest for your dog, it is known for its ability to prevent the formation of bad bacteria in the digestive tract.
It is also beneficial to give blended milk and honey to dogs. As per the research, honey considerably boosts the process of absorbing calcium from milk. In fact, it can help in accelerating the absorption of any form of calcium.
Honey is also an ideal booster of energy. This actually makes an appeal to sportspeople. However, it is also beneficial for dogs, especially if you are training the pet or while he is playing in the park. The moment your dog is tired, you can serve him a sweet treat with honey to energize him and get him back online. This is because honey contains fast-acting sugars that dogs can digest quickly.
In the case of other sweet items, it takes more time than normal in dogs for its contained sugars to act in the bloodstream. On the other hand, it takes no time for honey to act in the bloodstream of dogs. It has an instant effect, which is what is required while training or for remaining on time.
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Finally, it is a popular remedy to have 1-2 teaspoons of honey daily to keep allergies triggering in fall, spring, and summer away. However, it has to be raw honey. Scientifically, consuming raw honey digests small quantities of pollen in dogs due to which their bodies gradually get adjusted to these causal pollens gradually. In some time, their bodies get adjusted to such an extent that they do not react negatively when exposed to greater quantities.
However, the key to success here is to feed the satisfactory amount of honey frequently instead of doing so sporadically. Otherwise, allergies shall make their way back to dogs in no time.
How Much Honey is Healthy for Dogs?
Honey is sweet but is high in sugar at the same time just as other sweet items. Even pure honey is not an exception. So, it sensible to feed it in moderation as well as in small portions. If you feed too much of it at once, your dog is put at a high risk of diarrhea or gastrointestinal problems. Further, he is also at a risk of diabetes and obesity. Yes, even dogs can have diabetes. Thus, it is better to stay away from those additional calories.
Before you decide the amount, it is rational to give a small teaspoon of pure honey daily to your dog. Doing so shall let you know how he reacts to it, which can be good or bad. This can help you take the right decision regarding the amount.
After that, it is still recommended to talk with your vet and then decide the amount. Take an expert’s advice is the key to safe consumption of honey.
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